Paleoparasitological Findings from Rodent Coprolites Dated At 500 CE Sassanid Era in Archeological Site of Chehrabad(Douzlakh), Salt Mine Northwestern Iran

BACKGROUND: In this paper, paleoparasitological findings from rodent excrements obtained from Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran are demonstrated and discussed. METHODS: Chehrabad Salt Mine archeological site located in northwest of Iran, dated to the Achaemenid (mid 1(st) mill. BCE) and to Sassanid (3(rd) cent. - 7(th) cent. CE) period, is a unique study area to investigate parasites in the past millenniums in Iran. Rodent coprolites obtained from this archeological site were thoroughly analyzed for parasite eggs using TSP re-hydration technique. RESULTS: Specimen analyzed were attributed to juvenile and adult rats based on their apparent morphology comparing with the modern dried pellets of Muridea family. Helminth eggs retrieved from two positive pellets were identified as Trichosomoides crassicauda, yphacia sp. and Trichuris sp. CONCLUSION: The present paper discusses the first paleoparasitological findings of rodent gastrointestinal helminthes in Iran along with possible favorite items to rats in ancient Chehrabad Salt Mine.